Discordant Fluctuation is Broken

[Luuca]

The Chosen Aura, Discordant Fluctuation was designed to counter the prolific ranged damage that is doled out by Bright Wizards from the relative safety of Keep walls and the back lines of groups. While not every BW is a glass cannon to be feared, the class is easily min-max'd to provide exorbitant damage in both single target and multi target (AoE) capacities.

Discordant Fluctuation:



As you can see, the ToolTip states that every "offensive magical ability" should generate a "backlash" from DF. On Live, this aura was doing exactly that, providing "backlash" for every single target spell and every AoE or DoT used against the Chosen AND his groupmates within 100 feet. This was very quickly found to be way out of control, so the DEV Team at the time nerfed the ability. It appears that now, DF will only backlash on Direct Attacks. The DoTs and AoEs do not appear to be triggering this ability.

By now you are probably wondering why I bothered to write this because that seems "fair" . I submit that, in the state of the game today, there needs to be a balancing of the damage output to the backlash. In other words, in LIVE, the pendulum swung way too far and the nerf bat was way too big. In the image below, you will see my DF backlash hit once, while the BW hits me 7 times. You must understand, I have over-capped resistances that most players do not. Without my resistances, the damage output from the BW would have been even greater, while my measly backlash is easily managed by one tick of one HoT from a healer. I am not looking to equal the damage output with an aura, but I am looking to make it matter. A t this time, DF is fluff damage. It needs to have its teeth back.



I suggest you leave BW class alone, and empower the Chosen to play the role he was originally designed to play in the Discord Tree - party protector and counter spellcaster. Allow DF to backlash on every magical attack. In the image above the BW does over 2200 damage (after mitigation - without, over 5500 damage) with 2 direct attacks and 3 smaller DoTs. If DF provided a backlash for the initial hit of every offensive magical ability, for every group member BUT only ticked once per attack (not ticking on subsequent ticks of DoTs just the initial one) I would still have only done roughly 1200 damage. While nothing to sneeze at, it is substantial damage that can't be laughed off with one tick of the basic healers' HoT. I feel this would balance the Chosen class back to where we need to be in this age of BW Bomb groups and 3 hour keep gate skirmishes.

Look at the damage total for the average chosen in scenarios. Do you really think countering the #1 dps class with a minimal buff to the #5 dps class will tip the scales too far in the other direction? I don't think so. I think it's time we quit nerfing top damage dealers and started finding small buffs to bring the other classes back in line with the top end classes.

TLDR: Change Discordant Fluctuation to "tick" or "Backlash" on every first hit of offensive magical abilities used on all team mates again; however, do not allow it to "Tick" or "Backlash" on subsequent damage from DoT abilities or AoE abilities.

[Azarael]

3357 Discordant Fluctuation Blocker

Any ability listed as having a blocker in the code was subject to a restriction on how often it can proc against the same person. Period.

If this is a balance topic (the title implies otherwise), you should bear in mind the following:

a) Assuming the original WAR team's intent is invalid - neither you nor I nor anyone aside from them knows what their intent was
b) The balance forums aren't open and topics like this therefore are not welcome
c) BW isn't the only class that craps out AoE damage
d) Buffing Chosen which was already powerful at the end of WAR and is one of the two tanks which are predominantly passive (the other being KotBS) with yet another power aura that is also passive is not a good idea, and the balance forum rules indicate that we will not accept buffs which affect meta classes and specs
e) With recent bans, I do not have full confidence in balance topics reaching the correct conclusion

[Dabbart]

The Chosen Aura, Discordant Fluctuation was designed to counter the prolific ranged damage that is doled out by Bright Wizards from the relative safety of Keep walls and the back lines of groups. While not every BW is a glass cannon to be feared, the class is easily min-max'd to provide exorbitant damage in both single target and multi target (AoE) capacities.

Then throw a Rock? Glass Cannons fall easily.

Also, I don't believe that Aura's stack, so if another Chosen had the same Aura, yours could become basically inert, correct? And to add, your attack log shows a few DoTs, but only a couple actual cast spells. Maybe check out the Enemy Combat log, you can filter to check each ability to see how many times it hits, the overall damage, avg, etc. Sometimes just a quick glance at the chat log doesn't always tell you the big picture.

Oh and a question on Discordant Fluctuation and other abilities similar. The wording is kinda goofy to me, or I am just dumb, but does that mean that the enemy caster has to be within 100ft of the aura/target or any ally that is w/i 100ft of you that is targeted by anyone anywhere? For example: Chosen is 80ft North from a Zealot, enemy BW is 80ft South of said Zealot. The BW is 160ft away from the Chosen, would the Fluctuation still hit him? Or does the BW have to be within the 100ft Aura provider? I am aware it probably doesn't matter in this case, just wondering...

[Luuca]

You see the code, I see lacklustre effects in game.

I had no idea suggestions brought with some evidence and not whining were not welcomed.

I had no idea balance forums were not open ( for discussion I assume) my bad.

I'm not sure why recent bans would affect class balance. I try to avoid the drama threads so you would known better than I if exploits exist.

I wasn't trying to stirring the pot, simply looking at the weakest point of my main character in game and asking why I am so weak against this class and what tools do I have to counter. I found the tool (DF) to be underwhelming at best and tried to demonstrate how adjusting it would be a better tool for my class in game.

Delete the thread if this is an issue that is a ban-able topic.

[sanii]

I had no idea suggestions brought with some evidence and not whining were not welcomed.

I wasn't trying to stirring the pot, simply looking at the weakest point of my main character in game and asking why I am so weak against this class and what tools do I have to counter. I found the tool (DF) to be underwhelming at best and tried to demonstrate how adjusting it would be a better tool for my class in game.

Here is the problem with your suggestion and your evidence :

For once you are entirely focused on the Bright Wizard without providing any thoughts on how it would impact other classes (A Major requirement for proper balance changes)
In the example you provided you are showing how the bright wizard would only take "1200" with his single target rotation yet you use it to justify this

I feel this would balance the Chosen class back to where we need to be in this age of BW Bomb groups and 3 hour keep gate skirmishes.

In the AoE example (conveniently not explained in detail if a BW is bombing instead you chose Single target) with just 3 aoe abilties he would do (3* 210*6 = 7560) 7560 damage to himself . Sounds pretty balanced eh?

Now for the main point , you imply how chosen is supposed to by counter-spellcaster , that you want to achive by buffing a mindless passive abilitiy that requires exaclty 0 interaction and is something that we REALLY do not need on a chosen.

Have you went into detail how it would impact Orvr with destruction getting such a powerful tool on the most used tank? Does destruction suddenly not bomb ?
Order has a similar ability called On Your Guard that impacts Melee , it was nerfed faster then you could blink on live ,as it worked exactly how you were describing DF should be working, and it was cancer to fight against it. How would you balance that interaction if you change DF?

I just wrote some of the questions that need to be answered if you want a mechanic change such as the one you are proposing.
My opinion on DF is that it is too weak for what it is supposed to achieve in a properly balanced situation but changing it to how you are suggesting would not be a good approach. A raw damage increase would already be more then what the class deserves instead of changing the mechanic to a no-ICD .

[Azarael]

sanii covered the core problems with your suggestion in detail, so I'll just add regarding recent bans: some of the players whose opinions I consider to be the most trustworthy on balance were recently banned, so I feel that balance discussions in the near future will be of lower quality in terms of facts than they previously were. I may be wrong, but that's just how I'm reading it.

Your post would have been within the balance forum's rules - the problem is that you posted it in the wrong place without reading that the balance forum is locked. You would have been destroyed within the first few posts anyway because your post is centered around crippling the BW.

[Tesq]

i belive the op omitted a very important fact, that aura is done to counter aoe and so not st rotation which seems to be used againts it from the screen
Moreover the limitation to the proc apply to the character which if i not mistake mean that every party member hit give back the hit--> so 6 back hit.

that + backslash and baneshield is alredy powerfull enough to put chosen in par with BO/BG aoe spam.

[salaino]

As far as others being banned that you feel you trusted with balance not too sure how fair of an assumption that would be seeing as there were two balance topics opened. Can't expect the people who don't get a whole picture of everything before they jump and do something. Like post about balance when it's clearly not want yet seeing as the forums say it clearly states not to post on Balance yet because right now it is unwanted.

[Azarael]

As far as others being banned that you feel you trusted with balance not too sure how fair of an assumption that would be seeing as there were two balance topics opened. Can't expect the people who don't get a whole picture of everything before they jump and do something. Like post about balance when it's clearly not want yet seeing as the forums say it clearly states not to post on Balance yet because right now it is unwanted.

Fair point as well. We'll just have to see.